School Exchange Visit
For students and the staff travelling with them, coming to the UK on an organised school exchange under the Standard Visitor rules.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa
Maximum stay per visit
6 months
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor rules
Visa validity
2, 5 or 10 years
Long-term visitor visa option
Decision time
Usually 3 weeks
Standard service, from outside the UK
Paid work allowed
No
Visitors cannot work in the UK
Can my school take part in an exchange visit to the UK as Standard Visitors?
Yes. Students and staff can visit the UK as Standard Visitors to take part in an educational exchange with a state-funded school, academy or independent school. The rules don't set a specific day limit for the exchange itself, but a stay of more than 28 days without a parent or guardian brings extra care-arrangement requirements.
Who this is for
This is for a student in full-time education overseas, and the teachers or other adults accompanying them, visiting a UK school as part of an organised exchange or educational visit. The decision maker must be satisfied that each member of the group is a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of the visit and has adequate arrangements for their care while they're here.
What the exchange should look like
An exchange visit is mainly about broadening horizons and deepening intercultural understanding rather than following a course of study — the published rules set no fixed length for the visit itself, though a longer stay must not turn into a course of study. Where a child is not travelling with a parent or guardian, there must be adequate arrangements for their travel, reception and care in the UK, with written parental consent where the child is not part of an accompanied group.
Requirements
- Genuine visitorEach member of the group must satisfy the decision maker that they'll leave the UK at the end of the visit and are genuinely taking part in a permitted exchange activity.
- Eligible host schoolThe exchange must be with a state-funded school or academy, or with an independent school.
- Students in full-time educationStudents taking part must be in full-time education in their home country.
- Accompanying adults employed overseasTeachers or other adults accompanying the group must be employed overseas.
- Broadening horizons, not a course of studyThe visit should be mainly about broadening horizons and deepening intercultural understanding; a longer visit must not amount to a course of study.
- Care arrangements for childrenAdequate arrangements must be made for a child's travel, reception and care in the UK, with written consent from a parent or guardian if the child is not travelling with them.
- Private foster care (where it applies)Where a child under 16 (or under 18 with a disability) is cared for by someone who is not a close relative for more than 28 days, and is not part of an accompanied group, private foster care rules apply.
- General suitabilityThe application must not fall for refusal under the general suitability rules that apply across UK immigration routes.
Documents typically needed
- Passport or travel documentValid for the whole of the stay in the UK, for each member of the group.
- Details of the exchange programmeWhat the group will be doing in the UK, the host school, and the dates of the visit.
- Parental consentWritten consent from a parent or guardian for a child travelling without them, including full contact details.
- Evidence of accommodation and care arrangementsWho the child will stay with, their address, and their relationship to the child.
- Letter from the school (longer exchanges)Where a child is on an exchange visit lasting more than 28 days without a parent or guardian, a letter from the school covering the foster care arrangements.
- Local authority notification (where required)Confirmation that the parents have notified, or will notify, the relevant local authority, including any reply received.
- Certified translationsFor any document that is not in English or Welsh.
How to apply
Check the exchange fits the permitted activity
Confirm the visit is with a state-funded school, academy or independent school, and is mainly about cultural and educational exchange rather than a course of study.
Arrange care and consent for any children
Put in place adequate travel, reception and care arrangements, with written parental consent for any child not travelling with a parent or guardian.
Check if you need a visa or an ETA
Depending on nationality, each member of the group may need a Standard Visitor visa, an electronic travel authorisation, or neither.
Apply online
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online where needed, with each person completing their own application and providing the required supporting documents.
Prove identity and wait for a decision
Confirm identity using an identity-checking app or at a visa application centre, then wait for the decision within the published timescale.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)
- £135
- Extend your stay (up to a total of 6 months)
- £1,172
Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. Source: GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa
Processing times
- Apply from outside the UK
- Usually within 3 weeks
- Extend your stay from inside the UK
- Usually within 8 weeks
Standard service times published by the Home Office; a faster decision may be available for an extra fee.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Take part in an educational exchange or visit with a state-funded school, academy or independent school
- Travel as part of a school group accompanied by teachers or other adults employed overseas
- Stay with a host family or in foster care where adequate arrangements and consent are in place
Not permitted
- Turn the exchange into a course of study
- Stay with someone who is not a close relative for more than 28 days (where under 16, or under 18 with a disability) without meeting the private foster care requirements
- Access public funds
If the application is refused
A refusal decision explains why the published requirements were not met. Most Standard Visitor refusals do not carry a right of appeal, although a right of appeal on human rights grounds can apply in some cases, and the refusal notice sets out what, if anything, follows.
Common questions
What is a school exchange visit under the Standard Visitor route?
Is there a day limit for a school exchange?
Who can take part in the exchange?
What happens if a child stays with a host family for more than 28 days?
Does a child need parental consent to travel on the exchange?
Can a school group from France use a different process to enter the UK?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Study as a Visitor (Up to 30 Days)
Study a short course at an accredited institution while you visit the UK, including an English language course.
Read the guide →Volunteer Visit
Volunteer in the UK as a Standard Visitor for up to 30 days in total, for a charity registered with a UK charity regulator.
Read the guide →Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Digital permission to visit the UK for up to 6 months. Most travellers from Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia need one, not a visa.
Read the guide →